Google has long been accused of using its control over Android to push its own ecosystem.
Just days after launching Comet, an AI-powered browser aimed at rethinking how people search the web, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas has called out Android’s long-standing practice of defaulting to Google Chrome.
In a pair of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Srinivas criticised what he described as Chrome being “forced” as the default browser on Android devices. Instead, he argued, users should be given a choice during device setup, with visible alternatives such as Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and his company’s new entrant, Comet.
Srinivas even shared a mock-up of what this user choice screen could look like, evoking comparisons with the European Commission’s mandated browser ballot that was introduced years ago on Windows devices after similar antitrust concerns.
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A timely push from Perplexity
The timing of Srinivas’s comments is deliberate. Perplexity, known for its AI-driven search engine, has just unveiled Comet, a new browser that fuses search and browsing into a single, conversational experience. Built around the idea that search should feel more like an assistant than a list of links, Comet is positioned as a direct challenge to traditional browser models dominated by Chrome.
But discovery is the key obstacle. On Android, Chrome is not only pre-installed but often set as the default browser. Competing browsers, no matter how innovative, are at a major disadvantage unless users actively seek them out.
A longstanding antitrust issue
Google has long been accused of using its control over Android to push its own ecosystem, from Search to Chrome to the Play Store. While the company has made concessions in some regions due to antitrust pressure, particularly in Europe, many markets still see Google’s services pre-installed and favoured out of the box.
By highlighting this, Srinivas joins a broader conversation about digital fairness and competition, what he calls an “anti-choice” environment.
A browser built for the AI era
Comet is still in early development, but it reflects a broader shift toward AI-native tools. As AI assistants become more integrated into user workflows, the line between search, browsing, and task execution may blur. In such a world, control over the default browser could have even greater significance.
